Alabama Gets Tough on Illegal Immigrants

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signed a bill Thursday aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration that both supporters and opponents consider the toughest law of its kind in the U.S.

Supporters say the sweeping measure will protect the jobs of legal residents in Alabama. Opponents say it is unconstitutional, and some business groups worry about its impact on the state's economy.

Like the Arizona law that partly inspired it, the Alabama law requires police to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they stop whom they have a "reasonable suspicion" might be in the U.S. illegally. It requires all businesses to check employees' paperwork against the federal E-Verify database to confirm their work eligibility. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees can ask the Department of Homeland Security to conduct the procedure for them.

The law also covers areas the Arizona one doesn't touch. It requires public schools to determine the legal status of students and report statistics to the state. And it makes many contracts involving an illegal immigrant unenforceable in state courts.

"Alabama is no longer a sanctuary state," said Republican state Rep. Micky Hammon, the legislation's sponsor. "We want to discourage illegal immigrants from coming to Alabama and prevent those who are already here from putting down roots."

The American Civil Liberties Union, among other groups, said they planned to challenge the law's constitutionality in court before it takes effect Sept. 1. "It's a pervasive attempt to create an underclass of people," said Omar Jadwat, an ACLU attorney.

The organization has also sued to block similar measures in Arizona, Georgia and Utah.

Some business groups are concerned about the law, too. "I just hope that this bill doesn't send out the message to [businesses] thinking of locating here that they're not welcome here," said Johnny Adams, executive director of the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association.

In addition, he worries the E-Verify provision will hamstring smaller companies that aren't familiar with the system. "It puts us at a competitive disadvantage," he said.

Mr. Hammon argued that illegal immigrants displace Alabama workers and drain public coffers. "Everyone's in a financial bind right now," he said, and undocumented people are "taking a toll on our state revenue."

Alabama's undocumented population, which is mostly Latin American, numbered about 120,000 in 2010, compared with the estimated 25,000 a decade earlier, according to Pew Hispanic Center estimates.

Latino organizations say the legislation has already spread fear in the state's immigrant communities. "We know people who have left, and we expect others to leave," said Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama.

Opponents of the measure say the impact of an immigration-enforcement measure signed into law last month in neighboring Georgia offers a cautionary tale.

Farmers there are reporting difficulties in finding enough workers, just as they enter a peak harvest season for many fruits and vegetables. According to a recent survey by the Georgia Agribusiness Council, 46% of respondents said they were experiencing labor shortages.

The council estimates that the resulting losses could total $300 million this year, said Bryan Tolar, the group's president. Unpicked crops are "dying on the vine," he said.

Philip Grimes, the owner of Docia Farms in Tifton, Ga., said only half of his 100-person crew showed up two weeks ago to begin harvesting canteloupes and watermelons. The absentees "were scared to come in," he said. "It's going to be a disaster."

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